Clothes rack



Jan. 13, 1942. B TNEY 2 2,269,425

- CLOTHES RACK Filed April' 24, 1959' INVENTOR.

? ATTORNEY$ Patented Jan. 13, 1942 CLOTHES RACK Dewey H. Bitney, Albion, Mich, assignor to Union Steel Products Company, Albion, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application April 24, 1939, Serial No. 269,668

gauge. The entire rack is preferably treated with a rust and tarnish-proof finish.

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in clothes racks.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a clothes rack for drying clothes and the like which is well adapted for domestic use.

Second, to provide a clothes rack which is an all wire structure and characterized by its large capacity and stability and at the same time lightness and compactness and ample strength for the purposes intended.

Third, to provide a collapsible clothes rack having these advantages which is, very simple in structure, may be economically produced, and is very easily manipulated to erected or collapsed position. f

Fourth, to provide a rack having these advantages which is easily kept clean or sanitary and has no projections which are likely to catch or snag garments as they are placed upon the rack or removed therefrom.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

Preferred embodiments of. the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a structure embodying the features of my invention fully erected.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the rack in partially erected position but usable as a rack if full capacity of the rack is not desired.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the rack in completely collapsed position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section on line 44 of Fig. 5 illustrating a detail of construction.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1 illustrating another structural detail.

Fig. .7 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating a modified form or embodiment of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral I in general indicates the clothes rack of my invention which consists primarily of a base or. main standard 2 comprising a pair of pivotally articulated base members 3 and 4. Each of these base members consists of risers 5 and horizontally disposed. transverse rack bars 6. These are formed of wire or light rod stock of suitable The rack bars 6 serve as garment supporting elements and are preferably joined to the risers 5 by T-weld joints indicated at 5|, see Fig. 5, in order to prevent exposed rough edges or corners likely to catch or snag garments.

In thispreferred embodiment illustrated, one pair of risers are connected at their upper ends by an integral cross member I which serves as a rack bar, the other pair of risers being provided with eyes 8 pivotally engaging this cross member 1 whereby the members are connected to permit their being collapsed or extended.

In order to prevent injury to the floor or carpet on which the rack may be supported, the lower ends of the risers are turned upwardly to provide curved feet 9.

The base members 3 and 4 are held in erected position as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 by means of a brace consisting of a pair of members I0 and I I. The member ID is provided with eyes I2 engaging one of the bars 6 and the member I I is provided with corresponding eyes I2 pivotally engaging the cross member I3 of a loop-like frame I4 welded to the frame 4 to constitute a stop. This member I4 is welded at I4I to the risers 5 by the base member by which it is carried andserves as a stop or support for the brace members when they are in erected position. These brace members have transverse members I5 which constitute bars to receive garments and thereby increase the capacity of the rack.

In erected position the rack as described up to this point illustrated in Fig. 2' has a considerable capacity. To increase this capacity, I provide a pair of supplemental rack members I6 and I1 which comprise side pieces I8I and connecting cross bars l9 T-welded thereto, the side members being connected at their outer ends by integral cross pieces or bars 22. The side pieces I I8I are-provided with eyes I8 at their inner ends cross member at the outer end of the member I! and at the other end it is provided with hooks 2'] detachably engaging the cross member at the outer end of the supplemental rack member [6.

In order to further support and brace these erected supplemental rack members and prevent lateral swaying thereof and to provide means for automatically swinging the base members to their erected position, I provide the risers of the base member with transverse members 23 which are positioned above and in spaced relation to the rack bars on which the supplemental members are pivoted, see Figs. 1 and 4.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. 4 that when the supplemental rack members are in erected position they engage the members 23 and further that when they are swung to this position the movement serves to extend or erect the base members and the brace automatically falls into position to lock the base members in extended position although when the bridging member is engaged, the only function of the brace member is a tie member to limit the spreading movement of the base members.

The supplemental rack members are flexed slightly by their engagement with the transverse members 23 so as to put the bridging or tie member under tension and thereby take up lost motion at the pivotal connection of the latter to member I! as well as lost motion at its hook connection to the member Hi. This insures against rattlingand inadvertent displacement of the parts by accidental impacts and the like.

When the parts are in erected position, the rack is very stable and has a large capacity as the rack bars of the base members may be utilized, the transverse members of the brace members may be utilized as well as the rack bars of the supplemental members and the bridgingor tie member therefor.

In Fig. '7, I illustrate a slightly modified form in which stops 24 are provided on the side member of the supplemental rack members adapted to be brought into engagement with the risers 5 when the parts are in erected position.

I have not attempted to illustrate and. describe certain embodiments or adaptations which I contemplate. I have illustrated my improvements in embodiments which I have found to be very practical. It is believed that these disclosures will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my improvements as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a clothes rack formed of wire parts, the combination of a pair of pivotally connected base members each comprising spaced risers having connecting rack bars T-welded thereto, means limiting the spreading of said base members, a pair of supplemental rack members each comprising side pieces and connecting rack bars T- welded to the side members, the inner ends of said side pieces being pivotally engaged with said base members whereby the supplemental members may be swung from collapsed position at the sides of the base members to an outwardly diverging erected position, a bridging member comprising side pieces and connecting rack bars T-welded thereto, said bridging member being pivotally mounted at one end on one of said supplemental members to be collapsed thereon, the swinging end of said bridging member being detachably engageable with the other supplemental member, and stop bars welded to said risers above and adjacent to the points at which said supplemental members are pivoted to the base members adapted to be engaged by the side pieces of said supplemental members when they are in erected position for stabilizing the structure and to automatically swing the base members to erected position when the supplemental members are swung to their erected position.

2. In a clothes rack formed of wire parts, the combination of members each comprising spaced risers having connecting rack bars T-welded thereto, one pair of risers having an integral cross piece at their upper ends, the other pair of risers having eyes pivotally engaged with said cross piece, a pair of brace members comprising end members and connecting cross pieces, the end members being pivotally connected to opposed bars of said base members, the end membersof one brace member having eyes pivotally engaged with a cross piece of the other brace member, and a loop-like stop welded to one pair of risers to project inwardly therefrom and limiting the downward movement of the brace members in their erected position;

3. In a clothes rack, the combination of memberseach comprising risers having connecting rack. bars, one pair of risers having a cross piece at their upper ends, the other. pair of risers having eyes pivotally engaged with said cross piece, a pair of brace members comprising end membersand connecting cross pieces, the end members being pivotally connected to opposed bars of said base members, the end members of one brace member having eyes pivotally engaged with a cross piece of the other brace member, and a stop for limitingthe downward movement of the brace members in their erected position.

4. A clothes rack comprising a pair of pivot-'- ally connected base members each including risers having rack bars extending therebetween, coacting brace members pivotedto one another and to said members, said brace. members being disposed. in approximately horizontal position when the rack is erected, and connecting end members and transverse rack .bars extending therebetween, a stop member on one of .said members disposed beneath one of said brace members in supporting relation thereto when. the rack is in erected position, a pair of supplemental rack members pivoted to said base members and adapted to be adjusted to upwardlyand outwardly diverging erected position, and a further garment supporting member pivoted to one of said supplemental members and detachably engageable with the other to support said supplemental members in erected position, there being coacting parts on said base and supplemental members engageable when said Supplemental members are erected .to automatically spread the base members.

5. In a garment drying or like rack structure, a pair of garmentsupporting base members pivotally connected for predeterminedlateral spreading movement to operative position, means to limit said spreading movement, a pair of auxiliary rack members pivoted respectively to said base members below the pivotal connection of the latter, said auxiliary members being swingable upwardly to an outwardly divergent relation to a vertical plane and to one another, and. each thereof being engageable in said swinging with the base member to which it is pivoted at a pointintermediate its pivotal connectionthereto and the pivotal connection .of the base,members,

whereby said auxiliary members engage the base members in being swung to outwardly divergent position to automatically spread the base members to the operative position thereof, and a cross rack pivoted at one end to the outer extremity of one of said auxiliary members and having releasable restraining engagement at the other end with the outer extremity of the other auxiliary member to hold the members in operative erected position, said last named engagement placing the respective members under tension and stressing the same about their respective pivotal connections to take up looseness in the structure and prevent rattling, said members and rack each having a plurality of garment supporting rods effective to support garments in laterally spaced vertical planes.

6. In a garment drying or like rack structure, a pair of base members pivotally connected for predetermined lateral spreading movement to operative position, means to limit said spreading movement, a pair of auxiliary rack members pivoted respectively to said base members below the pivotal connection of the latter, said auxiliary members being swingable upwardly to outwardly divergent relation to a vertical plane and to one another, and each thereof being engageable in said swinging with the base member to'which it is pivoted at a point intermediate its pivotal connection thereto and the pivotal connection of the base members, whereby said auxiliary members engage the base members in being swung to outwardly divergent position to automatically spread the base members to the operative position thereof, and a cross rack pivoted at one end to the outer extremity of one of said auxiliary members and having releasable restraining engagement at the other end with the outer extremity of the other auxiliary member to hold the members in operative erected position, said'last named engagement placing the respective members under tension and stressing the same about their re spective pivotal connections to take up looseness in'the structure and prevent rattling.

'7. In a garment drying or like rack structure, a pair of base members pivotally connected for predetermined lateral spreading movement to operative position, a pair of auxiliary rack members pivoted respectively to said base members below the pivotal connection of the latter, said auxiliary member being swingable upwardly to outwardly divergent relation to a vertical plane and to one another, and each thereof being engageable in said swinging with the base member to which it is pivoted whereby to automatically spread the base members to the operative position thereof, and a cross rack pivoted at one end to one or said auxiliary members and having releasable restraining engagement at the other end with the other auxiliary member to hold the members in operative erected position, said last named engagement placing the respective members under tension and stressing the same about their respective pivotal connections to take up looseness in the structure and prevent rattling.

8. In a garment drying or like rack structure,

a pair of base members pivotally connected for predetermined lateral spreading movement to operative position, a pair, of auxiliary rack members pivoted respectively to said base members below the pivotal connection of the latter, said auxiliary members being swingable upwardly to outwardly divergent relation to a vertical plane and to one another, and each thereof being engageable in said swinging with the base member to which it is pivoted at a point intermediate its I pivotal connection thereto and the pivotal connection of the base members, whereby said, auxiliary members engage the base members in being swung to said divergent position to automatically spread the base members to the operative position thereof, and a cross rack pivoted at one end thereof to the outer extremity of one of said auxiliary members and having releasable restraining engagement at the other end thereof with the outer extremity of the other auxiliary member to hold the members in operative erected position.

9. In a garment drying or like rack structure,

a pair of base members pivotally connected for predetermined lateral spreading movement to operative position, a pair of auxiliary rack members pivoted respectively to said base members in spaced relation to the pivotal connection of the latter, said auxiliary member being swingable upwardly to outwardly divergent relation to a vertical plane and to one another, and each thereof being engageable in said swinging with the base member to which it is pivoted whereby to automatically spread the base members to the operative position thereof, and a cross rack pivoted at one end to one of said auxiliary members and having releasable restraining engagement at its other end with the other auxiliary member to hold the members in operative erected position. I

10. In a garment drying or like rack structure,

a pair of base members pivotally connected for predetermined lateral spreading movement to operative position, a pair of auxiliary rack memits pivotal connection thereto, whereby said auxiliary members engage the base members in being swung to outwardly divergent position to automatically spread the base members to the operative position thereof, and a cross rack pivoted at one end thereof to the outer extremity of one of said auxiliary members and having releasable restraining engagement at the other end thereof with the outer extremity of the other auxiliary member to hold the members in operative erected position.

DEWEY H. BI'I'NEY. 

